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2011 Ian Walsh Maui Menehune Mayhem

Maui’s surfing youth converged on Ho’okipa Beach Park on Saturday, March 26th for Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem. This was the 8th year of this free kid’s surf contest and the culmination of Spring Break in Hawaii. Walsh, 27, never expected this event would grow to this magnitude.

“I started this contest to give the kids something else to look forward to,” said Walsh who grew up surfing at Ho’okipa Beach Park. “The year that I started it there was not to many events out here for the kids, and I started it when I was 19 a lot smaller then this – and now it has snowballed into this crazy event.”

There were 120 grommets and 44 heats run at the 8th Annual Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem in the single day of competition in contestable 2-3 ft. wave conditions from 7am to 7pm The kids were provided free breakfast, lunch, beverages, and tons of free surf swag. The Nocturnal Sound Krew spun the freshest tunes for those in attendance. A scavenger hunt on land kept the kids entertained and smiling. According to Walsh, this contest isn’t only about good times and rewarding kids for surfing excellence. Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem also awards academics, tribute memorial awards for Andy Irons, Sion Milosky, Steve Cooney & Eric Diaz.

“We also have two GPA awards for a boy and a girl, who get a crazy prize bag,” said Walsh who graduated Valedictorian from King Kekaulike High in 2001. “There are four memorial awards for my friends that have passed away and those goes to best sportsmanship.”

At the core, Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem is a surf contest at a challenging wave that grooms the next generation of Maui rippers. Walsh says the Hookipa is an excellent training ground that’s produced world-class surfers like former ASP World Junior Champ Kai Barger, up-and-comers Ian Gentil and Billy Kemper

“Kai Barger, Hawaii’s world junior champ used to do these events. Tanner Hendrickson (Fox Surf Team Rider), Ian Gentil, Billy Kemper…” said Walsh. “All these kids that are the best new kids at Jaws, all started surfing at this contest. Now we are seeing all these kids– there are like 20 or 30 kids that are under nine years old in the contest today. It’s just crazy to see so many young kids who are so into surfing. This break is good because almost everyday of the year there is surf, I just benefited from learning here because there is a different variety of waves all the time it’s not the same everyday.”